Astros keep eye on hurricane

Houston manager Phil Garner said Friday the reality that Hurricane Rita was barreling toward southeast Texas shouldn't distract the Astros as they try to hold on to their wild-card playoff spot.

"I think the guys are prepared, and for the most part, their families are secure," Garner said. "We've done what we can do. Now we have to have fun playing the game."

The game turned out to be anything but fun for the Astros, who lost 5-4 to the Cubs, leaving them a game ahead of Philadelphia in the National League wild-card chase.

Glendon Rusch improved to 8-8 with a five-inning outing, Derrek Lee went 3-for-3 to increase his league-leading average to .341, and Ryan Dempster became the eighth pitcher in Cubs history to record 30 saves in a season.

In the Astros' clubhouse before the game, players watched the Weather Channel and talked about wind gusts and rainfall amounts instead of the heated wild-card race.

More than 2.5 million people were evacuating southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Noting a "lot of people are stuck on the freeway," Garner said he hoped listening to the Astros-Cubs game on radio would "take their minds off it."

But the Astros know the hurricane could have a major impact on their season, possibly forcing them to play their final four home games against the Cubs on Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at a neutral site.

"We're discussing options," Garner said. "We'll see as we get further along. Obviously, we're in St. Louis until Wednesday, so we have some time to see what's going to happen."

Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Milwaukee all have open dates in their parks during the final four days, and all but Milwaukee have been discussed as possible options.

"There's an advantage in Milwaukee in the sense that you know you can play," Garner said, referring to the retractable roof.

Manager Dusty Baker said playing the games at Wrigley is a "definite possibility," and President Andy MacPhail confirmed the option has been discussed.

But the Astros would prefer to play elsewhere, if possible, and the Cubs organization isn't eager for four more home games. The Cubs are scheduled to begin their bleacher expansion construction project soon after their final home game next Wednesday at Wrigley Field but will delay the start if Major League Baseball decides Wrigley is the most viable option for a rescheduled Cubs-Astros series.

The Florida Marlins were forced to play a home series against Montreal at U.S. Cellular Field last year because of a hurricane and also were forced to play one of their makeup games with the Cubs at Wrigley, losing the right to have last at-bats in the process.

MLB will have the final decision. but nothing is expected to be announced until next week, depending on the severity of Hurricane Rita and its impact on Houston.